bailey’s bread & butter pudding

:: This is the grown-up, extra indulgent version of that timeless classic, bread and butter pudding.

A couple of weeks ago I had a sudden yearning for this warming winter pud and was racking my brains for a way to add some additional warm-and-fuzzy factor when my mental tastebuds fell on the perfect solution – Bailey’s!

The whiskey-based cream liqueur is an irresistible boozy bonus in this already delicious dessert and I used it not only in the custard but also beforehand for infusing and plumping up the raisins.

Although traditionally this dessert is a great way of ensuring that slightly stale bread doesn’t go to waste, I used a fresh white Vienna loaf in my version which worked wonderfully to soak up every last drop of Bailey’s custard and result in a soft, light-as-air pudding.

Tip the raisins into a small bowl and pour the Bailey’s over the top, ensuring they are fully immersed.

Set aside while you prepare the rest of the pudding, to allow the fruit soak and plump up.

Using a sharp bread knife divide the white loaf into slices, about an inch in thickness.

Flatten the slices with the heel of your hand and butter the tops thinly but thoroughly. Set aside.

For the custard, whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until pale and thick.

Drain the liquor from the raisins and add to the egg mixture (keep the raisins separate to layer through the pudding).

Add the vanilla seeds and milk to the mixing bowl and whisk briefly until you have an even custard.

Butter a large pie or casserole dish and place a layer of bread slices, butter sides up, on the base. Sprinkle with raisins.

Repeat until you’ve used all the bread slices and then carefully pour the custard over the top of everything.

Don’t worry if you find you have a lot of custard left over – wait a few minutes for the bread to soak up the mixture and have another run at it. You might need to do this a few times until the bread reaches maximum saturation.

Sprinkle the top of the pudding with chopped pecans and dust generously with icing sugar.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and crunchy but the centre still has a distinct wobble.

Dust with another layer of icing sugar if desired and serve the hot pudding with a generous serve of vanilla ice cream or scoop of double cream.